Certifications:

• toLabor - Certified Professional Birth Doula

• 真实性：8/10
  1 个月前
  Hiring Gretchen was such an amazing decision! I was very nervous about all of the unknowns and uncertainty of my first pregnancy and baby and immediately upon our initial conversation felt very at ease and eager to work with her. She was super
  responsive and proactive about sending ideas and resources as my pregnancy progressed, and was able to quickly pivot when I learned I had some medical complications that would require an early induction (even though our "on call" period had not
  yet technically started). She was with us every step of the way navigating that situation and made me feel a lot better about being in control and knowing my options. The first half of my induction felt very straightforward and I felt empower... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：7/10
  6 个月前
  I am very happy to recommend Gretchen! After interviewing several doulas, we chose her because she truly supported my vision for my birth without imposing any of her personal beliefs. Gretchen brought a wealth of knowledge and resources that
  helped my husband and me focus on creating a birth plan we felt confident about.
  Even though things didn't go exactly as planned (our baby had her own ideas!), Gretchen was there for every step of the journey. During labor, her strong and powerful voice made all the difference--I honestly believe that her guidance is th... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：8/10
  7 个月前
  Gretchen was the perfect choice for a born doula for me and I can confidently say that my vaginal unmedicated birth experience won't have been possible without her support.  During the first consultation call, I appreciated her straightforwardness
  and her initial questions probed me to think deeper about my "whys" for birth preferences. It was this strong conviction and her relentless effort to try different labor positions that enabled me to have a positive birth experience through a grueling
  long medically-induced labor (44 hours) without any pain medications. The nurses at Kaiser San Jose had a lot of respect for Gretchen and even quipped that she doubled as a RN for me when all staff were busy that night! Although my baby... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：7/10
  8 个月前
  As first-time parents navigating the unknowns of pregnancy and childbirth, my partner and I were fortunate to find Gretchen as our doula. From our initial consultation over Zoom, Gretchen's warm and positive energy immediately resonated with us.
  Combined with her knowledge and experience, we decided to work with her even though it was just a month before my due date--a decision we're immensely grateful for now!
  Gretchen provided invaluable resources for prenatal care, covering everything from nutrition and exercise to natural methods to induce labor as the "due date" approached. She also took the time to demonstrate stretches and exercises th... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：7/10
  9 个月前
  It was great having Gretchen by my side for the birth of our third daughter. I was able to deliver quickly, unmedicated, and with very minimal tearing (all goals of mine). When labor was slow-starting, she gave excellent guidance to get things rolling,
  as well as asked the medical staff the right questions that I would not have thought of while in labor. Postpartum, she informed me of Bengkung belly binding, and encapsulated my placenta (which I feel helped stabilize my hormones). Overall, it was a
  wonderful experience having Gretchen as my birthing doula!... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：6/10
  9 个月前
  We had the most magical natural unmedicated birth experience in a hospital and we owe so much of it to Gretchen. Right from our first interaction when we were interviewing birth doulas, we were drawn by her warm nature. Her prenatal visits were
  extremely helpful be it the exercises she taught us to enable an optimal baby position for birth or her inputs into crafting our birth plan. We would have been lost with the information overload if not for her timely, targeted and super informative
  educational resources that have been extremely helpful to us as first time parents. She has always been a text or phone call away to address anything we needed. She brought in a sign of relief when she entered the labor room...her calmin... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：6/10
  1 年前
  Gretchen was my birth doula and assisted in the birth of my first child. She is professional, to the point and very knowledgable. I went in labor 5w before the due date and Gretchen was able to make time and help us with the birth in the hospital.
  During my hospital stay, she gave very useful advice multiple times on different scenarios which was very helpful considering we weren't prepared to go into labor at the time. At times of anxiety, she was able to calm the room and provide great
  support to me which gave me confidence and set me up for a successful vaginal delivery. Thank you, Gretchen!... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：8/10
  1 年前
  I had a great experience with Gretchen! In our pre-birth visits Gretchen shared a wealth of knowledge and resources, helping me feel very informed going into delivery.
  My labor started ahead of the induction date, but stalled after I got admitted. Gretchen promptly came to the hospital and stayed until a few hours after my delivery (which happened almost 15 hours after I was admitted). In addition to coaching me
  through different postural exercises, she encouraged me to try other methods of pain management before taking the epidural, and helped advocate with the pitocin timing.... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：6/10
  1 年前
  We want to express our deepest gratitude for Gretchen's incredible support during the birth of our sweet daughter Sierra! We really appreciated her pre birth visits and support with body movement and exercises. Her guidance and encouragement
  during labor helped me through every contraction while on pitocin so much that I was able to get to 5 cm without an epidural. Her reminder that discomfort is progress gave me the strength to stay present with every breath. Gretchen's dedication
  and compassion leading up to the birth was vital in helping us feel prepared for the big day. Our family is so grateful for her unwavering support during one of the most memorable moments in our lives. Thank you for being our rock and inspiration.... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：8/10
  1 年前
  Gretchen is a joy to work with.  She has a warm and truly caring spirit and is incredibly knowledgeable about all things pregnancy and childbirth related.  Our goal was to have an unmedicated vaginal birth, and I don't think this would have been
  possible, or it would have been much harder, without Gretchen's support throughout the pregnancy and labor.  I didn't realize that we could be preparing for labor and birth in the third trimester, but Gretchen walked us through different positions to
  ensure baby is in the right place, and shared a lot of resources of what else we can do to prepare.... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：7/10
  1 年前
  Gretchen was an absolute pleasure to work with! She is a perfect blend of professional and personal, and our son was her 160th birth as a doula. Her bubbly personality and gentle spirit make her a joy to be around. We really appreciated her
  pre-birth visits as she got to know us and provided resources to help us make informed decisions. My son was born in the optimal position, and I attribute it to the exercises Gretchen had us doing at home during pregnancy. She is knowledgeable
  about natural methods for preparing mother and baby for birth, but respects your decisions in whatever route you choose to go with pain medication. My husband and I always felt safe with her to share our intimate thoughts and fears, and ... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：8/10
  1 年前
  We had two incredible birth experiences with Gretchen. I felt completely secure, my husband was at ease, the doctor was impressed and asked for her business card. The nurses thanked her and told us they learned a lot from her. Her
  communication is outstanding. You can really feel her experience of so many births.
  After interviewing many doulas, we were immediately impressed by how well Gretchen understood us. I had birth injuries from my first birth and was even considering a cesarean for my second birth. When I became pregnant with our third ... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：5/10
  1 年前
  As a first time mom, I was riddled with a lot of questions and anxiety surrounding my labor and delivery experience. I was really uncertain if I wanted to obtain a doula, and actually decided on this very late in my pregnancy. I read Gretchen's reviews
  and saw so many positive experiences so I was very glad she was available for my due date! Meeting her during our consultation relieved so many of the worries my husband and I were feeling in the weeks leading to our due date. She really
  explained everything thoroughly from the beginning, and answered any questions along the way. She was a wonderful addition to our delivery team, supporting my decisions every step of the way. She helped me feel encouraged and suppo... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：6/10
  1 年前
  I cannot express enough gratitude for the incredible support and guidance provided by Gretchen during my pregnancy and childbirth journey. From the moment we met, I knew I had found a compassionate and knowledgeable ally who would be with
  me every step of the way.
  Gretchen's expertise and calming presence were invaluable throughout my pregnancy. She took the time to listen to my concerns, answer my questions, and provide evidence-based information that empowered me to make informed decisi... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：9/10
  1 年前
  I’m so happy that we chose Gretchen as our doula.
  We talked to 5 people and liked several. I ended up deciding that Gretchen was the only person we’d talked to who I felt truly not self-conscious around. (There are only a handful of people on the planet I don’t feel self conscious around, so this was
  an exciting and fascinating feeling for me.) This was the _perfect_ choice - I had 15-20m of pushing (4-5 contractions), which is super fast for a first child. Gretchen and my midwife mentioned that it was likely because I’d been so willing to w... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：8/10
  4 年前
  Mother perspective: “I feel very fortunate to have met Gretchen.  When we initially met there was no pandemic and we had planned to birth at the hospital with Gretchen. When the COVID pandemic began hospitals restricted additional support
  persons being present. In the end, we decided to change our birth plan to a home birth which ended up being the best decision we could have made. Gretchen was very supportive and encouraging as we researched alternative options and was
  willing to support us in any capacity available. I’m so thankful to have had a home birth experience and Gretchen was an essential member of our birth team. Gretchen provided wonderful prenatal support with recommended exercises and ... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：8/10
  4 年前
  I strongly believe I had the best labor  experience because Gretchen was my doula. From the time we started working with her during my pregnancy she was the most helpful resource we had. My husband and I met with her (virtually during
  COVID-19) to go over educational websites and videos she sent us. As we got closer to the due date she helped us work through labor positions and taught my husband how to best support me physically and emotionally. When I started early labor at
  home we called her and she come to our house to support us. She helped with breathing techniques and physical support to my hips and back during contractions. She recommended different positions to make me as comfortable as possibl... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：4/10
  5 年前
  Gretchen was AMAZING!! It felt like she became part of our family. This was my third pregnancy and I really wanted a non medicated birth. I knew my best chances at that was to hire a doula and Gretchen was everything and more!! From the first
  meeting till our last we enjoyed her so much! She was such an advocate for us at the hospital and extremely knowledgeable! We miss seeing her. ?? Best investment ever!!... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：8/10
  5 年前
  Gretchen is warm, encouraging and strong in mind, body, and spirit. We can't thank Gretchen enough for her doula services. After the initial phone call to get things going, she gave us work to do and helped us write a detailed birthplan to think
  through what we really wanted: better position for baby, labor support, birth plan advocate at hospital. For the birth plan, she patiently translated all the hospital procedures to help us make better decisions for our plan. During labor, she encouraged
  me to keep moving thru our exercises to turn the baby even when I wanted to curl into a ball and forget everything we practiced. If it weren't for Gretchen, I'm 100% certain I'd be laying on my back in the hospital way before it was necessa... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：9/10
  5 年前
  Gretchen was an incredible resource both during pregnancy and labor & delivery. She schlepped up to our home in SF from Santa Cruz for multiple prenatal visits and gave us timely advice on natural ways (e.g. stretches, massage techniques, herbal
  supplements) to address my pregnancy discomfort. She even came with us to a prenatal appointment in our third trimester to make sure that our OB reviewed our birth plan, which we wrote with her help, and answered all our questions ahead of
  L&D.... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：7/10
  5 年前
  Hiring Gretchen as my doula was 100% the best decision I made during my pregnancy, and my husband agrees. He was skeptical at first, but after seeing how much she cared about me and my birth plan, he was won over and is now recommending
  her to everyone he meets. During the pregnancy, she met with me twice and gave us invaluable information and resources. We met a third time to go on a walk. During the birth, her guidance helped my husband feel better about the process and
  enabled him to help me as well. Without her presence at the birth, I think I would have deviated from my birth plan after about ten minutes. She gave me the strength I needed to get through and have a birth experience that was so much b... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：8/10
  6 年前
  As a second time mom, who did not have a doula the first time around, I really wanted my second labor experience to be a positive one, and one where I could actively have a voice with the hospital careproviders. My first labor ended with my
  daughter in the NICU, and I just didn't know when and how to ask questions to find out what was going on, and I didn't end up getting to hold my daughter until 7 hours after I had her, which I found out later could have been very different if I had just
  spoken up.... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：7/10
  6 年前
  As a first time Mom going through pregnancy and (the part that I was dreading the most) labor, all I could think of leading up to D-Day was having a peaceful and stress free delivery for our baby. Gretchen was the perfect guide to help my husband
  and I through this incredible journey. She was everything I was hoping for in a doula and more. She coached us on the anatomical process of labor, what to expect from the hospital, how to keep my state of mind clear and calm during the delivery
  and what to expect coming home in those first few days.... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：8/10
  6 年前
  Initially we had hired another doula prior to Gretchen and things did not work out with her, so I interviewed a few more Doula's and didn't quite hit it off with anyone. I was 8 months pregnant and basically gave up about finding a doula becuase of
  how far along I was. Gretchen was referred to us by a friend of my husband's. From our very first phone conversation I felt at ease (and we hadn't even met yet)  Gretchen drove down and met me at a local Starbucks and from the moment we met, I
  knew she was the Doula for me. She is SO very passionate about her job, and extremely knowledgeable. Being a first time Mom, I wanted someone who I could trust being there with my husband and I in the delivery room. Gretchen was qui... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：7/10
  6 年前
  Having Gretchen attend our birth was one of the best decisions my husband and I ever made. The prenatal appointments were invaluable; she is wise beyond her years and has an impressive level of insight and expertise around issues of pregnancy,
  birth, and the postpartum experience. She is also authentic and compassionate with expectant moms & dads, which makes it easy to discuss fears and concerns as well as hopes and plans for childbirth. Her approach is a mix of modern,
  evidence-based birth practices and timeless holistic techniques. This was great in my case, as I wanted to experience natural childbirth in a hospital setting but have always been squeamish about hospitals. I did not want my very natural birt... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：8/10
  6 年前
  Coming from a man’s perspective, hiring a Doula is very odd. From a financial argument, it even makes it worse. My wife insisted on it and found Gretchen through Harmony, a baby center. When I first met Gretchen, I tried having a completely open
  mind but I was skeptical. After spending an hour with her, I understood why my wife felt so safe and secure, completely trusting she would be in great hands when the moment came. Gretchen was a wealth of knowledge; she is THE Wikipedia of
  birthing in so many ways. Her knowledge is really only the half of it... having someone by your side that’s witnessed births numerous times is invaluable. Anyone can read how to drive a car, but would you feel  comfortable getting in one wit... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：8/10
  6 年前
  I love Gretchen and am so happy that I found her to provide support during one the most memorable experiences of my life. I interviewed 8 doulas, and she easily stood out to me.
  She is gorgeous inside and out and her presence is very pleasant. She has a gentle, calm voice, and I love that she has a holistic and very supportive approach. I didn't feel like she would push strong opinions on me or make me feel judged---and she
  didn't. I feel she practices what she preaches; self-care, health, community, etc. She teaches yoga, has a passion for birth and families, loves babies, and is a talented musician (she sang some beauftiful songs to our baby).... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：7/10
  6 年前
  First-time mama here :)
  We found Gretchen through a referral and we couldn't be happier. Out of the 3 doulas we interviewed, we picked Gretchen because of her diverse background and PASSION for being a doula. When we originally met Gretchen, I wasn't sure if I wanted
  to have a "natural birth" because I know I don’t handle pain very well :) Gretchen spent a lot of time educating and providing us the necessary resources to help us commit to "Hypnobirthing."... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：8/10
  7 年前
  With all of our friends and family living in another country, and my hope to have an intervention free laboir & delivery, Gretchen was exactly the support system my husband and I had hoped for. She was so supportive of my goal to have a hypnobirth
  and encouraged and empowered me every step of the way.
  She was always available to answer any questions or concerns we had during my pregnancy and up to hours before the birth as well as during the postpartum period.... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：5/10
  7 年前
  Gretchen was a great addition to our birthing team! She is very caring and spent time with us before the birth to help educate us on the process to make sure we were prepared. She was very easy to work with and provided great support throughout
  the birthing process.... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：8/10
  7 年前
  My husband and I debated about hiring a doula for the birth of our first and only child . I had a strong desire to have an unmediated and natural delivery and I knew my loving husband wouldn't be able to comfort me throughout the long hours of my
  labor alone, so he finally budged and that's how we met Gretchen. From the start I felt Gretchen's  confidence and her calmness . She was very knowledgeable and answered any questions and or requests by sending me videos , books/ articles, and
  had ideas from her previous experiences. Thanks to Gretchen's experience in massage , positive affirmations ,calming voice ,and she never let me give up we were successful in an unmediated natural  delivery. She was there every step of t... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：8/10
  7 年前
  ?We contacted Gretchen during the last month of my pregnancy. We decided to hire her as our doula soon after our initial meeting. After that, she was always available on-call either on the phone or on text messages.
  Gretchen even accompanied me for my NST test in the hospital. Our baby was late; I waited till 42 weeks and tried everything to induce labor naturally. But eventually I had to undergo induction. Gretchen supported us with information at all steps.
  Gretchen was really helpful during my long labor. I was in Labor & Delivery for 3 days and she was there with me most of the time . Her presence was of huge emotional support both for me and my husband. She encouraged and guided me... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：8/10
  7 年前
  It being my first pregnancy without knowing how much I can trust my body,while working through a terrible pregnancy without much support,as well being a sexual assault survivor,I couldnt have been blessed with a more perfect delivery with a
  wonderful team.Much thanks to our doula Gretchen, who went far beyond her duties as a doula-she helped me to navigate through my thoughts and experiences of both fear, pain, and suffering through the few weeks we had her on board.
  From the start,I had a very rough time with my initial labor team who simply didn't believe me when I repeated told them I was having pain to the point that I couldn't get out of bed or stand.After I met Gretchen at 34 weeks gestation, I foun... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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• 真实性：6/10
  7 年前
  What can I say about Gretchen to communicate just how wonderfully she impacted our birth?! From our first phone call and on through our baby's arrival, Gretchen was completely present, positive, and patient. She was calm and joyful and brought
  her experience and energy to our team. Gretchen maintained a happy and positive climate as we progressed toward a natural birth. She never lost confidence (or portrayed a loss of confidence) in our progress or capability. During an especially
  stressful point, Gretchen stepped in and suggested a different labor position which helped us continue forward to our natural, healthy birth. I can't imagine a stronger addition to any mother or family than Gretchen. She is committed to birth... 显示完整内容... 显示完整内容
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